PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 657 



18 iEGIALITIS COLLARIS, Vieillot. 

 AZAKA'S KING PLOVKR. 



The native name for these plovers is "tigiii-tigiii," from their notes. 



They were all common along the beaiihes. I saw still another species 

 with darker breast, bat did not sncceed in getting a specimen. Legs 

 tlesh. 



Family APHRIZID.E. 



19. ARENARIA INTERPRES, < Linnseus). 

 TURNSTONE. 



A specimen obtained Jnly 7. Several large flocks seen at the lagoon. 

 Family TETRAONID.F. 



20. EUPSYCHORTYX PALLIDUS, new species. 

 MAEGARITAN CRESTED QUAIL. 



These handsome birds were abundant in the thorny thickets near the 

 coast, bnt none were seen in the interior of the island. They ran 

 through the cactus undergrowth with incredible swiftness and it was a 

 difficult matter to cause them to take wing. The call of the males is 

 identical with that of our common bob- white, and the call of the scat- 

 tered members of a covey is also the same. The native name is 

 "perdiz." 



[Type.—Ux\\Q adult, Xo. 151030, U.S.N.M; Margarita, July 2, 1895; 

 Wirt Eobinson; collector's ]Sro. 384. This bird is closely related to 

 E. sonnini of Veneznela, and does not require a separate description. 

 The Margaritan birds are considerably paler than E. sonnhii^ except 

 on the throat, where the color is about the same. The females are 

 particularly pallid on the under parts. There is no difference in the 

 pattern of coloration of the head in the male between the island bird 

 and E. sonnini. The dimensions appear to be the same in both forms, 

 the type of the present bird measuring: Wing, 3.75; tail, 2.30; tarsus, 

 1.05; exposed culmeu, 0.50 inches. The material upon which this form 

 is based, and that of E. sonnini available for comparison, is very scanty, 

 consisting of three specimens of the former, and a male from the island 

 of St. Thomas^ and a female from Venezuela of the latter. Meager as 

 this is, it is considered desirable to separate the two forms on the 

 evidence presented, and on the fact that at least two other si)ecies 

 [Doleromya and iSpeoiyto) characteristic of the cactus thickets are pale 

 representatives of mainland birds. Temmiuck's and Gould's plates of 

 E. sonnini also show a darker bird than E. pallidns. — C. W. R.] 



'American Museum of Natural History collectiou. I have to thank Messrs. J. A. 

 Alleu aucl Frank M. Chapman of that institution for numerous specimens from Ven- 

 ezuela and Trinidad sent on at my request for comparison with birds collected by 

 Lieutenant Robinson. 



Proc. X. M. 95 12 



